Robert Mouw works with two horses on his farm near Alton, Iowa. The horses,
Major and Ted, will join 18 other horses from Mouw's farm that currently
are at Arlington National Cemetery where they are used by the Army during
funerals.

ALTON,
Iowa -- Robert Mouw's patriotism and love of horses have combined to lead
the Sioux County farmer to a unique way of honoring America's veterans
and others who have served their country.

Mouw,
who has a small farm near Alton, has been supplying horses to the U.S.
Army to use in funeral ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery since
1999.

The
horses are a mixed breed, said Mouw. "The ones that go to Arlington National
Cemetery are basically a half-blood draft. They're mostly Percheron. These
are horses that weigh 1,250 to 1,400 pounds and stand around 16 hands high."

The
height of a horse is measured from the ground to the withers, which is
the base of the neck. When measuring a horse, one hand equals 4 inches.

Mouw
got into the business of selling horses to Arlington through a friend,
an Orange City veterinarian.

"He
had some contacts with the people in Arlington because he went to do some
work for them," explained Mouw. "And at that time a lot of their horses
were very old and unfit. They said they couldn't find the right type of
horse and I told them I might be able to help them."

In
February 1999, Mouw and his wife Shirley went to Arlington to see how the
horses were used and what type and size the Army needed. That July Mouw
delivered his first horses to Arlington.

"I've
been there about once a year ever since," he said.

Although
there are two other individuals who occasionally supply horses for use
at Arlington -- one in Indiana and one in Texas -- Mouw said he provides
the most of them. When he delivers three next month, more than half of
those now at Arlington will have come from his farm.

Mouw
buys horses, then brings them to his farm. In years past Mouw bred draft
horses, but said there are some problems that will probably keep him from
doing that with the Arlington horses.

"It
takes a lot more time," Mouw said. "And the problem with breeding is that
you will have a certain amount of them that for some reason are unfit.
You don't have to buy a horse like that, but if you're breeding them, he's
yours."

The
Arlington National Cemetery horses are used by the Army's Caisson Platoon
of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) based at Fort Myer, Vrginia.
During a funeral procession, Mouw said, six horses are harnessed together
in three pairs and pull a black artillery caisson carrying a flag-draped
casket. The left horse of each pair has a saddle and rider. To the left
front of the lead team, on a separate mount, rides the section chief who
commands the caisson unit.

"This
is the way they've moved artillery ever since the Civil War," Mouw said.
"They do an average of six horse-drawn funerals a day at Arlington."

When
former South Dakota Governor and war hero Joe Foss was buried in Arlington
earlier this year, four out of the six horses used in the funeral possession
came from Mouw's farm.

The
riders wear the Army dress blue uniform with riding breeches, and boots
with spurs. In addition to their duties in military funerals, the Caisson
Platoon sometimes participates in historic pageants performed by The Old
Guard.

The
horses Mouw buys for use by the Army are saddle broke but he trains them
to get them used to the special six-horse harness.

"I
sell them to the Army trained the way they're going to be used," Mouw said.
"When I buy them, I make sure they're broke to ride and then get them to
drive in the normal way. Then we put the two together."

Mouw
said that after the horses arrive at Arlington, they go through one more
month of training before they are used in an actual funeral.

The
horses at Arlington are normally used about eight to 10 years and then
are retired. Mouw said the Army doesn't sell them after they are retired
but instead gives them to agencies such as local police departments for
use in crowd control. The average lifespan of a horse is about 21 years,
said Mouw.

When
not working with his horses Mouw travels the area and trims hooves on dairy
cattle.

"That
takes up about two-thirds of my time," he said. While he's traveling he
looks for horses that might qualify for use at Arlington.

Mouw
said he's proud to have his horses at Arlington and be a part of the ceremony
that honors veterans and others who have served their country.

"It's
quite an honor to me," Mouw said. "I'm a veteran and a horseman and it's
probably as high an honor as you can get. Plus they're very happy with
my horses and that's always good to hear."

Mouw,
who served in the Army from 1971 to 1972 was stationed in the DMZ in Korea,
gets help raising and training horses from his family including two grandsons,
Taylor, 9, and Nathaniel, 12.

"Taylor
rode Major (one of three horses ready to go to Arlington next month) this
summer," Mouw said. "Nathaniel has helped me for the past two years in
the summer and he's a pretty good horseman."

Along
with the horses he provides to the Army, Mouw also has draft horses that
he uses to farm about 25 acres.

Robert
Mouw works with two horses on his farm near Alton, Iowa.The
horses, Major and Ted, will join 18 other horses from Mouw's farm that
currently are atArlington
National Cemetery where they are used by the Army during funerals.